In The NoCo

Cuchara is tiny and has no operating ski lift. Here’s why supporters say its future is bright

By In The NoCo,

Published January 15, 2025 at 5:35 AM MST

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Ken Clayton stands on a groomed slope at Cuchara Mountain Ski Park holding his skis and wearing a cowboy hat. — Ken Clayton is on the board of the Panadero Ski Corporation, which manages Cuchara Mountain Ski Park. He described what it's like to stand on the top of the mountain that is now open to skiers on weekends. "Standing up there on a sunny day, you have beautiful views of West Spanish peak. We stood up there many years where it was ungroomed and there was not a lot of snow, and there was no hope of ever skiing on that mountain again."

Visitors to Colorado ski resorts can ride to the top of the mountain in a sleek gondola, or take a high-speed, four-person chairlift.

Or, if they head to one of the state’s smallest resorts, they can ride up in a trailer pulled by a snowcat.

Cuchara Mountain Ski Park in southern Colorado operates on weekends without a functioning ski lift, and serves just a few dozen skiers per day. They charge $40 for a daily pass when many of their gigantic competitors charge more than $200.

Cuchara recently received a $250,000 grant from the state to help with operating costs.

We wanted to know more about how a small, nonprofit ski resort sustains itself in a state where behemoth ski resorts are the norm. Ken Clayton is with the Panadero Ski Corporation that manages Cuchara. He talked with Erin O’Toole about why he believes the place has a bright future and what makes it special.

A snowcat pulls skiers up the slope in a trailer. — Cuchara Mountain Ski Park has been using a snowcat to haul skiers up the mountain since they reopened in 2022. It pulls a car hauler fitted with repurposed school bus seats and can carry 22 people at a time. "It's a party with 21 of your best friends for five and a half minutes," says Ken Clayton.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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